There’s a lot of discussion about whether the Catholic church will have an American pope, even one familiar to Milwaukee. Former Milwaukee archbishop, now Cardinal Timothy Dolan, is one of the American cardinals being talked about.

Dolan is the subject of much of the speculation, showing his growing national and international status.

Bill Thorn, a consultant to the Vatican, said this election is about the future and connecting with younger Catholics. Some believe American cardinals should have a shot.

“John Paul II set the pace and it’s a swift one,” Thorn said.

Thorn believes the next pope will have a late 20th-century view, predicting someone in his 60s.

The Roman paper Il Messagero had a surprising prediction.

“One of the things they said is that there is growing support for an American,” Thorn said. “The unthinkable might happen.”

“Cardinal Dolan is very big on evangelization,” Martin said. “He’s a great spokesperson for the church. And Cardinal O’Malley has gotten high marks for dealing with the sex abuse crisis in three diocese that he’s worked in.”

However, insiders say Americans are not frontrunners -- with Italians appearing to split on candidates of their own and mention of a Latin American candidate garnering support.

The conclave meetings begin Tuesday. The Associated Press reported no conclave has lasted longer than five days in the past 100 years.